1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to geographical feature coding and more particularly to a data recorder and method for automatically displaying connecting lines between feature icons representing like features in real-time as the features are recorded in the field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Handheld data recorders are used by surveyors in the field for recording geographical locations of features such as trees, power poles, points along fences, or the like. In operation, the surveyor walks or drives to a feature that is of interest, determines the geographical location of the feature, and then uses the data recorder for recording the location and a code for the feature was found at that location. Historically, the surveyor records the feature by entering a code that he has previously setup, such as TREE for a tree or FCE for a point along a fence and associates the feature with a location either manually or through a digital interface from a separate survey apparatus. Existing data recorders have a display for showing icons at points on the display for representing the geographical relationships of the locations of the features. Typically, the surveyor will record several features in this way in the data recorder and then go back to an office for post-processing the feature recordings with a personal computer or work station in order to perform whatever computations are needed. One of the limitations of the data recorders that exist is that there is no provision for visually connecting the icons as the features are recorded in the field. Such visual presentation of feature connections is not available to the surveyor until he post-processes his feature records back at an office. Having no visual connections, it is difficult for the surveyor to notice when features are missed, incorrectly located, or incorrectly encoded during the survey.
There is a need for a handheld data recorder for a surveying applications for showing visual connections of feature icons while a surveyor is recording features in the field.